Spanish-English Intermediate Bilingual Novella
long short story OR short novel
FRANZ KAFKA
La Metamorfosis [The Metamorphosis]
PART SEVEN
SECTION A ~ Traditional Parallel Text
En una ocasión, durante el largo anochecer, se abrió una pequeña rendija una vez en una puerta lateral y otra vez en la otra, y ambas se volvieron a cerrar rápidamente; probablemente alguien tenía necesidad de entrar, pero, al mismo tiempo, sentía demasiada vacilación. Entonces Gregorio se paró justamente delante de la puerta del cuarto de estar, decidido a hacer entrar de alguna manera al indeciso visitante, o al menos para saber de quién se trataba; pero la puerta ya no se abrió más y Gregorio esperó en vano. Por la mañana temprano, cuando todas las puertas estaban bajo llave, todos querían entrar en su habitación, ahora que había abierto una puerta, y las demás habían sido abiertas sin duda durante el día, no venía nadie y, además, ahora las llaves estaban metidas en las cerraduras desde fuera.
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Once during that long evening, the door on one side of the room was opened very slightly and hurriedly closed again; later on the door on the other side did the same; it seemed that someone needed to enter the room but thought better of it. Gregor went and waited immediately by the door, resolved either to bring the timorous visitor into the room in some way or at least to find out who it was; but the door was opened no more that night and Gregor waited in vain. The previous morning while the doors were locked everyone had wanted to get in there to him, but now, now that he had opened up one of the doors and the other had clearly been unlocked some time during the day, no-one came, and the keys were in the other sides.
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Muy tarde, ya de noche, se apagó la luz en el cuarto de estar y entonces fue fácil comprobar que los padres y la hermana habían permanecido despiertos todo ese tiempo, porque tal y como se podía oír perfectamente, se retiraban de puntillas los tres juntos en este momento. Así pues, seguramente hasta la mañana siguiente no entraría nadie más en la habitación de Gregorio; disponía de mucho tiempo para pensar, sin que nadie le molestase, sobre cómo debía organizar de nuevo su vida. Pero la habitación de techos altos y que daba la impresión de estar vacía, en la cual estaba obligado a permanecer tumbado en el suelo, le asustaba sin que pudiera descubrir cuál era la causa, puesto que era la habitación que ocupaba desde hacía cinco años, y con un giro medio inconsciente y no sin una cierta vergüenza, se apresuró a meterse bajo el canapé, en donde, a pesar de que su caparazón era algo estrujado y a pesar de que ya no podía levantar la cabeza, se sintió pronto muy cómodo y solamente lamentó que su cuerpo fuese demasiado ancho para poder desaparecer por completo debajo del canapé.
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It was not until late at night that the gaslight in the living room was put out, and now it was easy to see that parents and sister had stayed awake all that time, as they all could be distinctly heard as they went away together on tip-toe. It was clear that no-one would come into Gregor's room any more until morning; that gave him plenty of time to think undisturbed about how he would have to re-arrange his life. For some reason, the tall, empty room where he was forced to remain made him feel uneasy as he lay there flat on the floor, even though he had been living in it for five years. Hardly aware of what he was doing other than a slight feeling of shame, he hurried under the couch. It pressed down on his back a little, and he was no longer able to lift his head, but he nonetheless felt immediately at ease and his only regret was that his body was too broad to get it all underneath.
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Allí permaneció durante toda la noche, que pasó, en parte, inmerso en un semisueño, del que una y otra vez le despertaba el hambre con un sobresalto, y, en parte, entre preocupaciones y confusas esperanzas, que le llevaban a la consecuencia de que, de momento, debía comportarse con calma y, con la ayuda de una gran paciencia y de una gran consideración por parte de la familia, tendría que hacer soportables las molestias que Gregorio, en su estado actual, no podía evitar producirles.
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He spent the whole night there. Some of the time he passed in a light sleep, although he frequently woke from it in alarm because of his hunger, and some of the time was spent in worries and vague hopes which, however, always led to the same conclusion: for the time being he must remain calm, he must show patience and the greatest consideration so that his family could bear the unpleasantness that he, in his present condition, was forced to impose on them.
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Ya muy de mañana, era todavía casi de noche, tuvo Gregorio la oportunidad de poner a prueba las decisiones que acababa de tomar, porque la hermana, casi vestida del todo, abrió la puerta desde el vestíbulo y miró con expectación hacia dentro. No le encontró enseguida, pero cuando le descubrió debajo del canapé —¡Dios mío, tenía que estar en alguna parte, no podía haber volado! — se asustó tanto que, sin poder dominarse, volvió a cerrar la puerta desde fuera. Pero como si se arrepintiese de su comportamiento, inmediatamente la abrió de nuevo y entró de puntillas, como si se tratase de un enfermo grave o de un extraño. Gregorio había adelantado la cabeza casi hasta el borde del canapé y la observaba. ¿Se daría cuenta de que se había dejado la leche, y no por falta de hambre, y le traería otra comida más adecuada? Si no caía en la cuenta por sí misma, Gregorio preferiría morir de hambre antes que llamarle la atención sobre esto, a pesar de que sentía unos enormes deseos de salir de debajo del canapé, arrojarse a los pies de la hermana y rogarle que le trajese algo bueno de comer.
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Gregor soon had the opportunity to test the strength of his decisions, as early the next morning, almost before the night had ended, his sister, nearly fully dressed, opened the door from the front room and looked anxiously in. She did not see him straight away, but when she did notice him under the couch - he had to be somewhere, for God's sake, he couldn't have flown away - she was so shocked that she lost control of herself and slammed the door shut again from outside. But she seemed to regret her behaviour, as she opened the door again straight away and came in on tip-toe as if entering the room of someone seriously ill or even of a stranger. Gregor had pushed his head forward, right to the edge of the couch, and watched her. Would she notice that he had left the milk as it was, realise that it was not from any lack of hunger and bring him in some other food that was more suitable? If she didn't do it herself he would rather go hungry than draw her attention to it, although he did feel a terrible urge to rush forward from under the couch, throw himself at his sister's feet and beg her for something good to eat.
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Pero la hermana reparó con sorpresa en la escudilla llena, a cuyo alrededor se había vertido un poco de leche, y la levantó del suelo, cierto que no lo hizo directamente con las manos, sino con un trapo, y se la llevó. Gregorio tenía mucha curiosidad por saber lo que le traería en su lugar, e hizo al respecto las más diversas conjeturas. Pero nunca hubiese podido adivinar lo que la bondad de la hermana iba realmente a hacer. Para poner a prueba su gusto, le trajo muchas cosas donde elegir, todas ellas extendidas sobre un viejo periódico. Había verduras pasadas medio podridas, huesos de la cena, rodeados de una salsa blanca que se había ya endurecido, algunas uvas pasas y almendras, un queso que, hacía dos días, Gregorio había calificado de incomible, un trozo de pan, otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y sal. Además añadió a todo esto la escudilla, que, a partir de ahora, probablemente estaba destinada a Gregorio, en la cual había echado agua. Y por delicadeza, como sabía que Gregorio nunca comería delante de ella, se retiró rápidamente e incluso echó la llave, para que Gregorio se diese cuenta de que podía ponerse todo lo cómodo que desease. Las patitas de Gregorio zumbaban cuando se acercaba el momento de comer. Por cierto, que sus heridas ya debían estar curadas del todo, ya no notaba molestia alguna, se asombró y pensó en cómo, hacía más de un mes, se había cortado un poco un dedo y esa herida, todavía anteayer, le dolía bastante. ¿Tendré ahora menos sensibilidad?, pensó, y ya chupaba con voracidad el queso, que fue lo que más fuertemente y de inmediato le atrajo de todo.
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However, his sister noticed the full dish immediately and looked at it and the few drops of milk splashed around it with some surprise. She immediately picked it up - using a rag, not her bare hands - and carried it out. Gregor was extremely curious as to what she would bring in its place, imagining the wildest possibilities, but he never could have guessed what his sister, in her goodness, actually did bring. In order to test his taste, she brought him a whole selection of things, all spread out on an old newspaper. There were old, half-rotten vegetables; bones from the evening meal, covered in white sauce that had gone hard; a few raisins and almonds; some cheese that Gregor had declared inedible two days before; a dry roll and some bread spread with butter and salt. As well as all that she had poured some water into the dish, which had probably been permanently set aside for Gregor's use, and placed it beside them. Then, out of consideration for Gregor's feelings, as she knew that he would not eat in front of her, she hurried out again and even turned the key in the lock so that Gregor would know he could make things as comfortable for himself as he liked. Gregor's little legs whirred, at last he could eat. What's more, his injuries must already have completely healed as he found no difficulty in moving. This amazed him, as more than a month earlier he had cut his finger slightly with a knife, he thought of how his finger had still hurt the day before yesterday. "Am I less sensitive than I used to be, then?", he thought, and was already sucking greedily at the cheese which had immediately, almost compellingly, attracted him much more than the other foods on the newspaper.
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Sucesivamente, a toda velocidad, y con los ojos llenos de lágrimas de alegría, devoró el queso, las verduras y la salsa; los alimentos frescos, por el contrario, no le gustaban, ni siquiera podía soportar su olor, e incluso alejó un poco las cosas que quería comer. Ya hacía tiempo que había terminado y permanecía tumbado perezosamente en el mismo sitio, cuando la hermana, como señal de que debía retirarse, giró lentamente la llave. Esto le asustó, a pesar de que ya dormitaba, y se apresuró a esconderse bajo el canapé, pero le costó una gran fuerza de voluntad permanecer debajo del canapé aun el breve tiempo en el que la hermana estuvo en la habitación, porque, a causa de la abundante comida, el vientre se había redondeado un poco y apenas podía respirar en el reducido espacio. Entre pequeños ataques de asfixia, veía con ojos un poco saltones cómo la hermana, que nada imaginaba de esto, no solamente barría con su escoba los restos, sino también los alimentos que Gregorio ni siquiera había tocado, como si éstos ya no se pudiesen utilizar, y cómo lo tiraba todo precipitadamente a un cubo, que cerró con una tapa de madera, después de lo cual se lo llevó todo. Apenas se había dado la vuelta, cuando Gregorio salía ya de debajo del canapé, se estiraba y se inflaba.
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Quickly one after another, his eyes watering with pleasure, he consumed the cheese, the vegetables and the sauce; the fresh foods, on the other hand, he didn't like at all, and even dragged the things he did want to eat a little way away from them because he couldn't stand the smell. Long after he had finished eating and lay lethargic in the same place, his sister slowly turned the key in the lock as a sign to him that he should withdraw. He was immediately startled, although he had been half asleep, and he hurried back under the couch. But he needed great self-control to stay there even for the short time that his sister was in the room, as eating so much food had rounded out his body a little and he could hardly breathe in that narrow space. Half suffocating, he watched with bulging eyes as his sister unselfconsciously took a broom and swept up the left-overs, mixing them in with the food he had not even touched at all as if it could not be used any more. She quickly dropped it all into a bin, closed it with its wooden lid, and carried everything out. She had hardly turned her back before Gregor came out again from under the couch and stretched himself.
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De esta forma recibía Gregorio su comida diaria una vez por la mañana, cuando los padres y la criada todavía dormían, y la segunda vez después de la comida del mediodía, porque entonces los padres dormían un ratito y la hermana mandaba a la criada a algún recado. Sin duda los padres no querían que Gregorio se muriese de hambre, pero quizá no hubieran podido soportar enterarse de sus costumbres alimenticias, más de lo que de ellas les dijese la hermana; quizá la hermana quería ahorrarles una pequeña pena porque, de hecho, ya sufrían bastante.
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This was how Gregor received his food each day now, once in the morning while his parents and the maid were still asleep, and the second time after everyone had eaten their meal at midday as his parents would sleep for a little while then as well, and Gregor's sister would send the maid away on some errand. Gregor's father and mother certainly did not want him to starve either, but perhaps it would have been more than they could stand to have any more experience of his feeding than being told about it, and perhaps his sister wanted to spare them what distress she could as they were indeed suffering enough.
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Gregorio no pudo enterarse de las excusas con las que el médico y el cerrajero habían sido despedidos de la casa en aquella primera mañana, puesto que, como no podían entenderle, nadie, ni siquiera la hermana, pensaba que él pudiera entender a los demás, y así, cuando la hermana estaba en su habitación, tenía que conformarse con escuchar de vez en cuando sus suspiros y sus invocaciones a los santos. Sólo más tarde, cuando ya se había acostumbrado un poco a todo —naturalmente nunca podría pensarse en que se acostumbrase del todo—, cazaba Gregorio a veces una observación hecha amablemente o que así podía interpretarse: «Hoy sí que le ha gustado», decía, cuando Gregorio había comido con abundancia, mientras que, en el caso contrario, que poco a poco se repetía con más frecuencia, solía decir casi con tristeza: «Hoy ha sobrado todo.»
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It was impossible for Gregor to find out what they had told the doctor and the locksmith that first morning to get them out of the flat. As nobody could understand him, nobody, not even his sister, thought that he could understand them, so he had to be content to hear his sister's sighs and appeals to the saints as she moved about his room. It was only later, when she had become a little more used to everything - there was, of course, no question of her ever becoming fully used to the situation - that Gregor would sometimes catch a friendly comment, or at least a comment that could be construed as friendly. "He's enjoyed his dinner today", she might say when he had diligently cleared away all the food left for him, or if he left most of it, which slowly became more and more frequent, she would often say, sadly, "now everything's just been left there again".
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SECTION B ~ Spanish-English Bilingual Text
Sentence Under Sentence Text Alignment
En una ocasión, durante el largo anochecer, se abrió una pequeña rendija una vez en una puerta lateral y otra vez en la otra, y ambas se volvieron a cerrar rápidamente; Once during that long evening, the door on one side of the room was opened very slightly and hurriedly closed again; later on the door on the other side did the same;
probablemente alguien tenía necesidad de entrar, pero, al mismo tiempo, sentía demasiada vacilación.
it seemed that someone needed to enter the room but thought better of it.
Entonces Gregorio se paró justamente delante de la puerta del cuarto de estar, decidido a hacer entrar de alguna manera al indeciso visitante, o al menos para saber de quién se trataba;
Gregor went and waited immediately by the door, resolved either to bring the timorous visitor into the room in some way or at least to find out who it was;
pero la puerta ya no se abrió más y Gregorio esperó en vano.
but the door was opened no more that night and Gregor waited in vain.
Por la mañana temprano, cuando todas las puertas estaban bajo llave, todos querían entrar en su habitación,
The previous morning while the doors were locked everyone had wanted to get in there to him,
ahora que había abierto una puerta, y las demás habían sido abiertas sin duda durante el día, no venía nadie y, además, ahora las llaves estaban metidas en las cerraduras desde fuera.
but now, now that he had opened up one of the doors and the other had clearly been unlocked some time during the day, no-one came, and the keys were in the other sides.
Muy tarde, ya de noche, se apagó la luz en el cuarto de estar y entonces fue fácil comprobar que los padres y la hermana habían permanecido despiertos todo ese tiempo,
It was not until late at night that the gaslight in the living room was put out, and now it was easy to see that parents and sister had stayed awake all that time,
porque tal y como se podía oír perfectamente, se retiraban de puntillas los tres juntos en este momento.
as they all could be distinctly heard as they went away together on tip-toe.
Así pues, seguramente hasta la mañana siguiente no entraría nadie más en la habitación de Gregorio;
It was clear that no-one would come into Gregor's room any more until morning;
disponía de mucho tiempo para pensar, sin que nadie le molestase, sobre cómo debía organizar de nuevo su vida.
that gave him plenty of time to think undisturbed about how he would have to re-arrange his life.
Pero la habitación de techos altos y que daba la impresión de estar vacía, en la cual estaba obligado a permanecer tumbado en el suelo, le asustaba sin que pudiera descubrir cuál era la causa, puesto que era la habitación que ocupaba desde hacía cinco años,
For some reason, the tall, empty room where he was forced to remain made him feel uneasy as he lay there flat on the floor, even though he had been living in it for five years.
y con un giro medio inconsciente y no sin una cierta vergüenza, se apresuró a meterse bajo el canapé,
Hardly aware of what he was doing other than a slight feeling of shame, he hurried under the couch.
en donde, a pesar de que su caparazón era algo estrujado y a pesar de que ya no podía levantar la cabeza, se sintió pronto muy cómodo y solamente lamentó que su cuerpo fuese demasiado ancho para poder desaparecer por completo debajo del canapé.
It pressed down on his back a little, and he was no longer able to lift his head, but he nonetheless felt immediately at ease and his only regret was that his body was too broad to get it all underneath.
Allí permaneció durante toda la noche,
He spent the whole night there.
que pasó, en parte, inmerso en un semisueño, del que una y otra vez le despertaba el hambre con un sobresalto, y, en parte, entre preocupaciones y confusas esperanzas, que le llevaban a la consecuencia de que, de momento, debía comportarse con calma y,
Some of the time he passed in a light sleep, although he frequently woke from it in alarm because of his hunger, and some of the time was spent in worries and vague hopes which, however, always led to the same conclusion: for the time being he must remain calm,
con la ayuda de una gran paciencia y de una gran consideración por parte de la familia, tendría que hacer soportables las molestias que Gregorio, en su estado actual, no podía evitar producirles.
he must show patience and the greatest consideration so that his family could bear the unpleasantness that he, in his present condition, was forced to impose on them.
Ya muy de mañana, era todavía casi de noche, tuvo Gregorio la oportunidad de poner a prueba las decisiones que acababa de tomar, porque la hermana, casi vestida del todo, abrió la puerta desde el vestíbulo y miró con expectación hacia dentro.
Gregor soon had the opportunity to test the strength of his decisions, as early the next morning, almost before the night had ended, his sister, nearly fully dressed, opened the door from the front room and looked anxiously in.
No le encontró enseguida, pero cuando le descubrió debajo del canapé
She did not see him straight away, but when she did notice him under the couch
—¡Dios mío, tenía que estar en alguna parte, no podía haber volado! —
- he had to be somewhere, for God's sake, he couldn't have flown away -
se asustó tanto que, sin poder dominarse, volvió a cerrar la puerta desde fuera.
she was so shocked that she lost control of herself and slammed the door shut again from outside.
Pero como si se arrepintiese de su comportamiento, inmediatamente la abrió de nuevo y entró de puntillas, como si se tratase de un enfermo grave o de un extraño.
But she seemed to regret her behaviour, as she opened the door again straight away and came in on tip-toe as if entering the room of someone seriously ill or even of a stranger.
Gregorio había adelantado la cabeza casi hasta el borde del canapé y la observaba.
Gregor had pushed his head forward, right to the edge of the couch, and watched her.
¿Se daría cuenta de que se había dejado la leche, y no por falta de hambre, y le traería otra comida más adecuada?
Would she notice that he had left the milk as it was, realise that it was not from any lack of hunger and bring him in some other food that was more suitable?
Si no caía en la cuenta por sí misma, Gregorio preferiría morir de hambre antes que llamarle la atención sobre esto,
If she didn't do it herself he would rather go hungry than draw her attention to it,
a pesar de que sentía unos enormes deseos de salir de debajo del canapé, arrojarse a los pies de la hermana y rogarle que le trajese algo bueno de comer.
although he did feel a terrible urge to rush forward from under the couch, throw himself at his sister's feet and beg her for something good to eat.
Pero la hermana reparó con sorpresa en la escudilla llena, a cuyo alrededor se había vertido un poco de leche,
However, his sister noticed the full dish immediately and looked at it and the few drops of milk splashed around it with some surprise.
y la levantó del suelo, cierto que no lo hizo directamente con las manos, sino con un trapo, y se la llevó.
She immediately picked it up - using a rag, not her bare hands - and carried it out.
Gregorio tenía mucha curiosidad por saber lo que le traería en su lugar, e hizo al respecto las más diversas conjeturas.
Gregor was extremely curious as to what she would bring in its place, imagining the wildest possibilities,
Pero nunca hubiese podido adivinar lo que la bondad de la hermana iba realmente a hacer.
but he never could have guessed what his sister, in her goodness, actually did bring.
Para poner a prueba su gusto, le trajo muchas cosas donde elegir, todas ellas extendidas sobre un viejo periódico.
In order to test his taste, she brought him a whole selection of things, all spread out on an old newspaper.
Había verduras pasadas medio podridas,
There were old, half-rotten vegetables;
huesos de la cena, rodeados de una salsa blanca que se había ya endurecido,
bones from the evening meal, covered in white sauce that had gone hard;
algunas uvas pasas y almendras,
a few raisins and almonds;
un queso que, hacía dos días, Gregorio había calificado de incomible,
some cheese that Gregor had declared inedible two days before;
un trozo de pan, otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y sal.
a dry roll and some bread spread with butter and salt.
a piece of bread, another piece of bread spread with butter and another piece of bread spread with butter and salt
Además añadió a todo esto la escudilla, que, a partir de ahora, probablemente estaba destinada a Gregorio, en la cual había echado agua.
As well as all that she had poured some water into the dish, which had probably been permanently set aside for Gregor's use, and placed it beside them.
Y por delicadeza, como sabía que Gregorio nunca comería delante de ella,
Then, out of consideration for Gregor's feelings, as she knew that he would not eat in front of her,
se retiró rápidamente e incluso echó la llave, para que Gregorio se diese cuenta de que podía ponerse todo lo cómodo que desease.
she hurried out again and even turned the key in the lock so that Gregor would know he could make things as comfortable for himself as he liked.
Las patitas de Gregorio zumbaban cuando se acercaba el momento de comer.
Gregor's little legs whirred, at last he could eat.
Por cierto, que sus heridas ya debían estar curadas del todo, ya no notaba molestia alguna,
What's more, his injuries must already have completely healed as he found no difficulty in moving.
se asombró y pensó en cómo, hacía más de un mes, se había cortado un poco un dedo y esa herida, todavía anteayer, le dolía bastante.
This amazed him, as more than a month earlier he had cut his finger slightly with a knife, he thought of how his finger had still hurt the day before yesterday.
¿Tendré ahora menos sensibilidad?, pensó, y ya chupaba con voracidad el queso, que fue lo que más fuertemente y de inmediato le atrajo de todo.
"Am I less sensitive than I used to be, then?", he thought, and was already sucking greedily at the cheese which had immediately, almost compellingly, attracted him much more than the other foods on the newspaper.
Sucesivamente, a toda velocidad, y con los ojos llenos de lágrimas de alegría, devoró el queso, las verduras y la salsa;
Quickly one after another, his eyes watering with pleasure, he consumed the cheese, the vegetables and the sauce;
los alimentos frescos, por el contrario, no le gustaban, ni siquiera podía soportar su olor, e incluso alejó un poco las cosas que quería comer.
the fresh foods, on the other hand, he didn't like at all, and even dragged the things he did want to eat a little way away from them because he couldn't stand the smell.
Ya hacía tiempo que había terminado y permanecía tumbado perezosamente en el mismo sitio, cuando la hermana, como señal de que debía retirarse, giró lentamente la llave.
Long after he had finished eating and lay lethargic in the same place, his sister slowly turned the key in the lock as a sign to him that he should withdraw.
Esto le asustó, a pesar de que ya dormitaba, y se apresuró a esconderse bajo el canapé,
He was immediately startled, although he had been half asleep, and he hurried back under the couch.
pero le costó una gran fuerza de voluntad permanecer debajo del canapé aun el breve tiempo en el que la hermana estuvo en la habitación,
But he needed great self-control to stay there even for the short time that his sister was in the room,
porque, a causa de la abundante comida, el vientre se había redondeado un poco y apenas podía respirar en el reducido espacio.
as eating so much food had rounded out his body a little and he could hardly breathe in that narrow space.
Entre pequeños ataques de asfixia, veía con ojos un poco saltones cómo la hermana, que nada imaginaba de esto, no solamente barría con su escoba los restos,
Half suffocating, he watched with bulging eyes as his sister unselfconsciously took a broom and swept up the left-overs,
sino también los alimentos que Gregorio ni siquiera había tocado,
mixing them in with the food he had not even touched at all
como si éstos ya no se pudiesen utilizar,
as if it could not be used any more.
y cómo lo tiraba todo precipitadamente a un cubo, que cerró con una tapa de madera, después de lo cual se lo llevó todo.
She quickly dropped it all into a bin, closed it with its wooden lid, and carried everything out.
Apenas se había dado la vuelta, cuando Gregorio salía ya de debajo del canapé, se estiraba y se inflaba.
She had hardly turned her back before Gregor came out again from under the couch and stretched himself.
De esta forma recibía Gregorio su comida diaria una vez por la mañana, cuando los padres y la criada todavía dormían,
This was how Gregor received his food each day now, once in the morning while his parents and the maid were still asleep,
y la segunda vez después de la comida del mediodía, porque entonces los padres dormían un ratito y la hermana mandaba a la criada a algún recado.
and the second time after everyone had eaten their meal at midday as his parents would sleep for a little while then as well, and Gregor's sister would send the maid away on some errand.
Sin duda los padres no querían que Gregorio se muriese de hambre,
Gregor's father and mother certainly did not want him to starve either,
pero quizá no hubieran podido soportar enterarse de sus costumbres alimenticias, más de lo que de ellas les dijese la hermana; quizá la hermana quería ahorrarles una pequeña pena porque, de hecho, ya sufrían bastante.
but perhaps it would have been more than they could stand to have any more experience of his feeding than being told about it, and perhaps his sister wanted to spare them what distress she could as they were indeed suffering enough.
Gregorio no pudo enterarse de las excusas con las que el médico y el cerrajero habían sido despedidos de la casa en aquella primera mañana,
It was impossible for Gregor to find out what they had told the doctor and the locksmith that first morning to get them out of the flat.
puesto que, como no podían entenderle, nadie, ni siquiera la hermana, pensaba que él pudiera entender a los demás, y así, cuando la hermana estaba en su habitación, tenía que conformarse con escuchar de vez en cuando sus suspiros y sus invocaciones a los santos.
As nobody could understand him, nobody, not even his sister, thought that he could understand them, so he had to be content to hear his sister's sighs and appeals to the saints as she moved about his room.
Sólo más tarde, cuando ya se había acostumbrado un poco a todo
It was only later, when she had become a little more used to everything
—naturalmente nunca podría pensarse en que se acostumbrase del todo—,
- there was, of course, no question of her ever becoming fully used to the situation -
cazaba Gregorio a veces una observación hecha amablemente o que así podía interpretarse:
that Gregor would sometimes catch a friendly comment, or at least a comment that could be construed as friendly.
«Hoy sí que le ha gustado», decía, cuando Gregorio había comido con abundancia, mientras que, en el caso contrario, que poco a poco se repetía con más frecuencia, solía decir casi con tristeza: «Hoy ha sobrado todo.»
"He's enjoyed his dinner today", she might say when he had diligently cleared away all the food left for him, or if he left most of it, which slowly became more and more frequent, she would often say, sadly, "now everything's just been left there again".
probablemente alguien tenía necesidad de entrar, pero, al mismo tiempo, sentía demasiada vacilación.
it seemed that someone needed to enter the room but thought better of it.
Entonces Gregorio se paró justamente delante de la puerta del cuarto de estar, decidido a hacer entrar de alguna manera al indeciso visitante, o al menos para saber de quién se trataba;
Gregor went and waited immediately by the door, resolved either to bring the timorous visitor into the room in some way or at least to find out who it was;
pero la puerta ya no se abrió más y Gregorio esperó en vano.
but the door was opened no more that night and Gregor waited in vain.
Por la mañana temprano, cuando todas las puertas estaban bajo llave, todos querían entrar en su habitación,
The previous morning while the doors were locked everyone had wanted to get in there to him,
ahora que había abierto una puerta, y las demás habían sido abiertas sin duda durante el día, no venía nadie y, además, ahora las llaves estaban metidas en las cerraduras desde fuera.
but now, now that he had opened up one of the doors and the other had clearly been unlocked some time during the day, no-one came, and the keys were in the other sides.
Muy tarde, ya de noche, se apagó la luz en el cuarto de estar y entonces fue fácil comprobar que los padres y la hermana habían permanecido despiertos todo ese tiempo,
It was not until late at night that the gaslight in the living room was put out, and now it was easy to see that parents and sister had stayed awake all that time,
porque tal y como se podía oír perfectamente, se retiraban de puntillas los tres juntos en este momento.
as they all could be distinctly heard as they went away together on tip-toe.
Así pues, seguramente hasta la mañana siguiente no entraría nadie más en la habitación de Gregorio;
It was clear that no-one would come into Gregor's room any more until morning;
disponía de mucho tiempo para pensar, sin que nadie le molestase, sobre cómo debía organizar de nuevo su vida.
that gave him plenty of time to think undisturbed about how he would have to re-arrange his life.
Pero la habitación de techos altos y que daba la impresión de estar vacía, en la cual estaba obligado a permanecer tumbado en el suelo, le asustaba sin que pudiera descubrir cuál era la causa, puesto que era la habitación que ocupaba desde hacía cinco años,
For some reason, the tall, empty room where he was forced to remain made him feel uneasy as he lay there flat on the floor, even though he had been living in it for five years.
y con un giro medio inconsciente y no sin una cierta vergüenza, se apresuró a meterse bajo el canapé,
Hardly aware of what he was doing other than a slight feeling of shame, he hurried under the couch.
en donde, a pesar de que su caparazón era algo estrujado y a pesar de que ya no podía levantar la cabeza, se sintió pronto muy cómodo y solamente lamentó que su cuerpo fuese demasiado ancho para poder desaparecer por completo debajo del canapé.
It pressed down on his back a little, and he was no longer able to lift his head, but he nonetheless felt immediately at ease and his only regret was that his body was too broad to get it all underneath.
Allí permaneció durante toda la noche,
He spent the whole night there.
que pasó, en parte, inmerso en un semisueño, del que una y otra vez le despertaba el hambre con un sobresalto, y, en parte, entre preocupaciones y confusas esperanzas, que le llevaban a la consecuencia de que, de momento, debía comportarse con calma y,
Some of the time he passed in a light sleep, although he frequently woke from it in alarm because of his hunger, and some of the time was spent in worries and vague hopes which, however, always led to the same conclusion: for the time being he must remain calm,
con la ayuda de una gran paciencia y de una gran consideración por parte de la familia, tendría que hacer soportables las molestias que Gregorio, en su estado actual, no podía evitar producirles.
he must show patience and the greatest consideration so that his family could bear the unpleasantness that he, in his present condition, was forced to impose on them.
Ya muy de mañana, era todavía casi de noche, tuvo Gregorio la oportunidad de poner a prueba las decisiones que acababa de tomar, porque la hermana, casi vestida del todo, abrió la puerta desde el vestíbulo y miró con expectación hacia dentro.
Gregor soon had the opportunity to test the strength of his decisions, as early the next morning, almost before the night had ended, his sister, nearly fully dressed, opened the door from the front room and looked anxiously in.
No le encontró enseguida, pero cuando le descubrió debajo del canapé
She did not see him straight away, but when she did notice him under the couch
—¡Dios mío, tenía que estar en alguna parte, no podía haber volado! —
- he had to be somewhere, for God's sake, he couldn't have flown away -
se asustó tanto que, sin poder dominarse, volvió a cerrar la puerta desde fuera.
she was so shocked that she lost control of herself and slammed the door shut again from outside.
Pero como si se arrepintiese de su comportamiento, inmediatamente la abrió de nuevo y entró de puntillas, como si se tratase de un enfermo grave o de un extraño.
But she seemed to regret her behaviour, as she opened the door again straight away and came in on tip-toe as if entering the room of someone seriously ill or even of a stranger.
Gregorio había adelantado la cabeza casi hasta el borde del canapé y la observaba.
Gregor had pushed his head forward, right to the edge of the couch, and watched her.
¿Se daría cuenta de que se había dejado la leche, y no por falta de hambre, y le traería otra comida más adecuada?
Would she notice that he had left the milk as it was, realise that it was not from any lack of hunger and bring him in some other food that was more suitable?
Si no caía en la cuenta por sí misma, Gregorio preferiría morir de hambre antes que llamarle la atención sobre esto,
If she didn't do it herself he would rather go hungry than draw her attention to it,
a pesar de que sentía unos enormes deseos de salir de debajo del canapé, arrojarse a los pies de la hermana y rogarle que le trajese algo bueno de comer.
although he did feel a terrible urge to rush forward from under the couch, throw himself at his sister's feet and beg her for something good to eat.
Pero la hermana reparó con sorpresa en la escudilla llena, a cuyo alrededor se había vertido un poco de leche,
However, his sister noticed the full dish immediately and looked at it and the few drops of milk splashed around it with some surprise.
y la levantó del suelo, cierto que no lo hizo directamente con las manos, sino con un trapo, y se la llevó.
She immediately picked it up - using a rag, not her bare hands - and carried it out.
Gregorio tenía mucha curiosidad por saber lo que le traería en su lugar, e hizo al respecto las más diversas conjeturas.
Gregor was extremely curious as to what she would bring in its place, imagining the wildest possibilities,
Pero nunca hubiese podido adivinar lo que la bondad de la hermana iba realmente a hacer.
but he never could have guessed what his sister, in her goodness, actually did bring.
Para poner a prueba su gusto, le trajo muchas cosas donde elegir, todas ellas extendidas sobre un viejo periódico.
In order to test his taste, she brought him a whole selection of things, all spread out on an old newspaper.
Había verduras pasadas medio podridas,
There were old, half-rotten vegetables;
huesos de la cena, rodeados de una salsa blanca que se había ya endurecido,
bones from the evening meal, covered in white sauce that had gone hard;
algunas uvas pasas y almendras,
a few raisins and almonds;
un queso que, hacía dos días, Gregorio había calificado de incomible,
some cheese that Gregor had declared inedible two days before;
un trozo de pan, otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y otro trozo de pan untado con mantequilla y sal.
a dry roll and some bread spread with butter and salt.
a piece of bread, another piece of bread spread with butter and another piece of bread spread with butter and salt
Además añadió a todo esto la escudilla, que, a partir de ahora, probablemente estaba destinada a Gregorio, en la cual había echado agua.
As well as all that she had poured some water into the dish, which had probably been permanently set aside for Gregor's use, and placed it beside them.
Y por delicadeza, como sabía que Gregorio nunca comería delante de ella,
Then, out of consideration for Gregor's feelings, as she knew that he would not eat in front of her,
se retiró rápidamente e incluso echó la llave, para que Gregorio se diese cuenta de que podía ponerse todo lo cómodo que desease.
she hurried out again and even turned the key in the lock so that Gregor would know he could make things as comfortable for himself as he liked.
Las patitas de Gregorio zumbaban cuando se acercaba el momento de comer.
Gregor's little legs whirred, at last he could eat.
Por cierto, que sus heridas ya debían estar curadas del todo, ya no notaba molestia alguna,
What's more, his injuries must already have completely healed as he found no difficulty in moving.
se asombró y pensó en cómo, hacía más de un mes, se había cortado un poco un dedo y esa herida, todavía anteayer, le dolía bastante.
This amazed him, as more than a month earlier he had cut his finger slightly with a knife, he thought of how his finger had still hurt the day before yesterday.
¿Tendré ahora menos sensibilidad?, pensó, y ya chupaba con voracidad el queso, que fue lo que más fuertemente y de inmediato le atrajo de todo.
"Am I less sensitive than I used to be, then?", he thought, and was already sucking greedily at the cheese which had immediately, almost compellingly, attracted him much more than the other foods on the newspaper.
Sucesivamente, a toda velocidad, y con los ojos llenos de lágrimas de alegría, devoró el queso, las verduras y la salsa;
Quickly one after another, his eyes watering with pleasure, he consumed the cheese, the vegetables and the sauce;
los alimentos frescos, por el contrario, no le gustaban, ni siquiera podía soportar su olor, e incluso alejó un poco las cosas que quería comer.
the fresh foods, on the other hand, he didn't like at all, and even dragged the things he did want to eat a little way away from them because he couldn't stand the smell.
Ya hacía tiempo que había terminado y permanecía tumbado perezosamente en el mismo sitio, cuando la hermana, como señal de que debía retirarse, giró lentamente la llave.
Long after he had finished eating and lay lethargic in the same place, his sister slowly turned the key in the lock as a sign to him that he should withdraw.
Esto le asustó, a pesar de que ya dormitaba, y se apresuró a esconderse bajo el canapé,
He was immediately startled, although he had been half asleep, and he hurried back under the couch.
pero le costó una gran fuerza de voluntad permanecer debajo del canapé aun el breve tiempo en el que la hermana estuvo en la habitación,
But he needed great self-control to stay there even for the short time that his sister was in the room,
porque, a causa de la abundante comida, el vientre se había redondeado un poco y apenas podía respirar en el reducido espacio.
as eating so much food had rounded out his body a little and he could hardly breathe in that narrow space.
Entre pequeños ataques de asfixia, veía con ojos un poco saltones cómo la hermana, que nada imaginaba de esto, no solamente barría con su escoba los restos,
Half suffocating, he watched with bulging eyes as his sister unselfconsciously took a broom and swept up the left-overs,
sino también los alimentos que Gregorio ni siquiera había tocado,
mixing them in with the food he had not even touched at all
como si éstos ya no se pudiesen utilizar,
as if it could not be used any more.
y cómo lo tiraba todo precipitadamente a un cubo, que cerró con una tapa de madera, después de lo cual se lo llevó todo.
She quickly dropped it all into a bin, closed it with its wooden lid, and carried everything out.
Apenas se había dado la vuelta, cuando Gregorio salía ya de debajo del canapé, se estiraba y se inflaba.
She had hardly turned her back before Gregor came out again from under the couch and stretched himself.
De esta forma recibía Gregorio su comida diaria una vez por la mañana, cuando los padres y la criada todavía dormían,
This was how Gregor received his food each day now, once in the morning while his parents and the maid were still asleep,
y la segunda vez después de la comida del mediodía, porque entonces los padres dormían un ratito y la hermana mandaba a la criada a algún recado.
and the second time after everyone had eaten their meal at midday as his parents would sleep for a little while then as well, and Gregor's sister would send the maid away on some errand.
Sin duda los padres no querían que Gregorio se muriese de hambre,
Gregor's father and mother certainly did not want him to starve either,
pero quizá no hubieran podido soportar enterarse de sus costumbres alimenticias, más de lo que de ellas les dijese la hermana; quizá la hermana quería ahorrarles una pequeña pena porque, de hecho, ya sufrían bastante.
but perhaps it would have been more than they could stand to have any more experience of his feeding than being told about it, and perhaps his sister wanted to spare them what distress she could as they were indeed suffering enough.
Gregorio no pudo enterarse de las excusas con las que el médico y el cerrajero habían sido despedidos de la casa en aquella primera mañana,
It was impossible for Gregor to find out what they had told the doctor and the locksmith that first morning to get them out of the flat.
puesto que, como no podían entenderle, nadie, ni siquiera la hermana, pensaba que él pudiera entender a los demás, y así, cuando la hermana estaba en su habitación, tenía que conformarse con escuchar de vez en cuando sus suspiros y sus invocaciones a los santos.
As nobody could understand him, nobody, not even his sister, thought that he could understand them, so he had to be content to hear his sister's sighs and appeals to the saints as she moved about his room.
Sólo más tarde, cuando ya se había acostumbrado un poco a todo
It was only later, when she had become a little more used to everything
—naturalmente nunca podría pensarse en que se acostumbrase del todo—,
- there was, of course, no question of her ever becoming fully used to the situation -
cazaba Gregorio a veces una observación hecha amablemente o que así podía interpretarse:
that Gregor would sometimes catch a friendly comment, or at least a comment that could be construed as friendly.
«Hoy sí que le ha gustado», decía, cuando Gregorio había comido con abundancia, mientras que, en el caso contrario, que poco a poco se repetía con más frecuencia, solía decir casi con tristeza: «Hoy ha sobrado todo.»
"He's enjoyed his dinner today", she might say when he had diligently cleared away all the food left for him, or if he left most of it, which slowly became more and more frequent, she would often say, sadly, "now everything's just been left there again".